Stabilized vessel with self-lifting capability for rapid navigation and safe transshipment in rough seas

Abstract

The present invention relates to a self-elevating vessel in horizontal or stationary motion comprising: - Maneuvering and navigation means, - At least one floating upper section comprising a cell (1) and optionally at least one inflatable float (2), - At least one submerged propulsion and lifting section comprising at least one steerable propulsion means (4) and at least one steerable lifting surface in the horizontal and vertical planes (5), - At least one profiled vertical mechanical linkage means (3) between said floating upper section and said submerged propulsion and lifting section, - Means for controlling the altitude and inclination of said floating upper section relative to the water surface, in order to control in real time the position and stability of said vessel as a function of waves and wind; - Means for raising the floating upper section. Figure to be published: Figure 1

Description

Title of the invention: Stabilized vessel with self-raising capability for rapid navigation and safe transshipment in rough seas. Technical field

[0001] The invention applies to the field of maritime transport, and its main objective is to improve the speed and comfort of navigation, as well as the safety of personnel transshipment. Previous technique

[0002] Since navigation has existed, rapid movements, as well as the phases of embarking and disembarking personnel from or to a ship, have been complicated and perilous, especially when waves generate erratic and dangerous movements.

[0003] Patent application WO2018229355 describes a vessel with high stability lifting surfaces, rising above the water by means of fixed foils and non-steerable thrusters in the vertical plane.

[0004] Patent application WO2023 / 203453 describes a hydrofoil-type vessel comprising a set of "retractable foils", more specifically a vessel whose structure supporting the foils is retractable, allowing its draft to be limited in port.

[0005] For large SOV (Service Operation Vessel) type vessels, personnel transfers are carried out using telescopic gangways with dynamic motion compensation to cushion, compensate, and secure the transfer of personnel to fixed bases, for example, to wind turbines (EP2603422, WO2014109640). These large vessels have the disadvantage of being relatively inflexible, resulting in significant personnel transfer times. Furthermore, their operability is limited to significant wave heights of approximately 2.5 meters.

[0006] For small CTV (Crew Transfer Vessel) vessels used for transferring personnel from one ship to another, or from a ship to a fixed or floating infrastructure, the transshipment technique consists of positioning the ship's bow against a third-party structure that allows for boarding, for example, a "boat landing" element (e.g., a ladder equipped with two vertical columns), using engine thrust. The friction thus generated between the ship's bow and the vertical columns limits the ship's vertical movement despite the forces exerted by the waves. This type of landing is nevertheless limited to a significant wave height (Hs) of less than 1.5 meters. This transshipment technique is therefore not feasible in all weather conditions, particularly in difficult conditions.

[0007] There remains a need to design light vessels, of the subsidiary type (commonly called "daughter crafts" - these subsidiary structures or shuttles are used in particular to transfer personnel between operational or service vessels, which may remain for several days within a wind farm, and the wind turbines located in the adjacent park), or heavier vessels, of the CTV type, which improve stability, allow for rapid navigation in rough seas and the disembarkation of people onto offshore wind turbines or other vessels or infrastructure, while overcoming the effects of waves. Summary of the invention

[0008] The invention overcomes the drawbacks of the solutions described in the prior art. Surprisingly, the Applicant demonstrated that a self-elevating vessel comprising an upper part (a gondola or platform advantageously including a cell and a float) and a submerged motorized part providing propulsion and elevation would allow both:

[0009] -to guarantee greatly improved stability for fast navigation in rough seas;

[0010] -and to transfer personnel safely between the ship and another ship, or between the ship and a fixed or floating infrastructure.

[0011] To this end, the invention relates to a vessel having the capacity to navigate and remain above the agitated surface of the sea by means of mechanical linkage in the form of profiled vertical structures equipped with horizontal lifting planes (foils) and submerged propellers controlled by an autonomous regulation system ensuring the propulsion, stabilization and elevation of said vessel, both when moving and when stationary.

[0012] The invention relates more particularly to a self-elevating vessel in horizontal or stationary motion for rapid navigation and safe transshipment in rough seas, comprising:

[0013] -Means of maneuvering and navigation;

[0014] - At least one floating upper portion comprising a cell (1) and possibly at least one inflatable float (2);

[0015] -At least one submerged propulsion and lifting part comprising at least one steerable propulsion means (4) and at least one steerable lifting surface in the horizontal plane and in the vertical plane (5), and possibly at least one submerged float;

[0016] - At least one profiled vertical mechanical connection means (3), possibly of adjustable height, between said floating upper part and said submerged propulsive and supporting part, said floating upper part and said propulsive and supporting part being secured to said mechanical linking means;

[0017] - Means for controlling the altitude and inclination of said upper part floating relative to the water surface, comprising at least one sensor and at least one means of controlling said at least one means of propulsion and said at least one steerable lifting surface in order to control in real time the position and stability of said vessel as a function of waves and wind;

[0018] -Means of raising the floating upper part.

[0019] The vessel according to the invention may include at least one shock-absorbing pad and at least two pivoting lashing jaws (6) allowing the vessel to be fixed to a third-party structure.

[0020] Said at least one mechanical linkage means may be chosen from a vertical leg, a retractable articulated leg, a telescopic leg and a pantograph, and said propulsion means may include pivoting thrusters orientable in the horizontal plane and in the vertical plane, preferably three thrusters.

[0021] Said at least one sensor may allow at least one direct physical measurement of roll and pitch, of the height of the nacelle relative to the water surface, or of the absolute or relative position of the ship.

[0022] Said control means can make it possible to control the orientation and thrust of each propulsion unit and the orientation of each lifting surface so as to maintain an altitude and attitude defined in real time or predefined by the ship's pilot.

[0023] Said control means include an obstacle detection and target tracking surveillance system, preferably consisting of cameras and LIDAR sensors.

[0024] The maneuvering and navigation means may include a piloting system equipped with said monitoring system enabling it to detect obstacles and track targets.

[0025] Said surveillance system may include means for three-dimensional shape recognition.

[0026] Said surveillance system may include means for replicating the movements of another vessel so as to limit the relative movements of the two vessels and to allow a transfer of cargo or personnel in motion.

[0027] The maneuvering and navigation means may implement an artificial intelligence learning system enabling the ship's behavior to adapt automatically or semi-automatically to variations and movements of surrounding elements. List of figures [Fig 1]

[0028] Fig. 1 represents a 3D view of a ship according to the invention.

[0029] Fig. 1 is an example of an embodiment illustrating the invention by way of non-limiting reason. Description of the implementation methods

[0030] The invention is an agile vessel having the ability to rise above the surface of the water, whether in horizontal movement or stationary, and to move in a combined manner longitudinally, transversely and in rotation around the 3 axes.

[0031] In the remainder of this document, trim generally refers to the angle between the longitudinal axis or the transverse axis of the ship and the horizontal plane; pitch refers to the angle between the longitudinal axis of the ship and the horizontal plane; roll, or list, refers to the angle between the transverse axis of the ship and the horizontal plane.

[0032] Figure 1, which illustrates by way of non-limiting agreement the object of the invention, shows a vessel according to the invention comprising a cell (1), floats (2), retractable profiled masts (3), steerable thrusters (4), a steerable lifting surface (5) and pivoting lashing jaws (6) (optional).

[0033] More specifically, according to the embodiment of [Fig. 1], the vessel according to the invention comprises a floating upper section including a cell (1) which includes a cabin equipped with a rigid, solid, and lightweight helm station. It has its own buoyancy. To improve stability when stationary on calm water and to absorb potential impacts with other vessels, two inflatable floats (2) are advantageously used. The assembly consisting of the optional floats and the cell is called the nacelle or platform and constitutes the floating upper section.

[0034] To rise above the waves, the craft uses several steerable thrusters (4) articulated at the lower ends of the profiled mechanical linkage means (3), also called masts or legs, and one or more steerable lifting planes (5) located at the lower ends of the mechanical linkage means.

[0035] The thrust developed by the thrusters (4) makes it possible to lift and maintain in stationary equilibrium the cabin several meters above the surface of the water.

[0036] During navigation, the thrusters are oriented to generate horizontal thrust. The lifting surface(s) (5) then provide vertical hydrodynamic support, allowing the nacelle to be lifted above the waves and thus reducing its hydrodynamic drag during forward movement.

[0037] For secure embarkation and disembarkation operations to fixed or floating infrastructure (such as wind turbines), the vessel can be securely moored at height on the "boat-landing" columns of a third-party maritime structure using shock-absorbing pads and adjustable pivoting jaws (6) to keep the vessel out of range of the influence of waves.

[0038] The invention has the following advantages:

[0039] - During horizontal movement, the vessel according to the invention can rise above the water's surface to reduce its hydrodynamic drag and overcome waves, allowing it to reach a higher speed than a floating vessel of the same dimensions while reducing its energy requirements.

[0040] -When stationary, the vessel according to the invention makes it possible to overcome the effect of waves by rising above the surface of the water, which makes it possible to stabilize the vessel and, for example, to guarantee optimal safety during a transfer of personnel to or from a larger vessel or a fixed or floating infrastructure (of the wind turbine type).

[0041] The vessel is composed of a floating operational upper part (referred to as a platform, nacelle, or cell in the following description) and an independent propulsive and load-bearing lower part, including in particular a combination:

[0042] -Of one or more pivoting thrusters that can be oriented in the horizontal plane and in the vertical plane,

[0043] -One or more horizontal lifting surfaces with adjustable angles of incidence depending on the desired direction (also called foils) located near the propulsion units,

[0044] -Optional floats located near the thrusters. These floats advantageously have a variable geometry allowing their drag to be reduced in horizontal movement and their volume to be increased in stationary position in order to provide an additional vertical force to relieve the thrusters, for example to reduce the energy consumption of the thrusters.

[0045] A swiveling, steerable thruster as defined in the present invention is a steerable device that generates thrust. It may consist of a propeller driven by a contiguous or remote electric motor.

[0046] The floating operational section and the lifting propulsion section are separate, although secured to each other by mechanical means, the distance between the floating section and the lifting propulsion section being adjustable at any time, manually or automatically. In normal operation, the floating operational section is above the water surface (above the wave crest) and the lifting propulsion section remains below the water surface (below the wave trough).

[0047] The invention is based on the following principles, depending on the speed of movement of the ship:

[0048] -In horizontal movement at high speed: propulsion is provided by pivoting, steerable thrusters oriented primarily horizontally. Lift is provided by horizontal lifting surfaces whose angles of incidence are adjusted to ensure the stability of the vessel in trim, roll, and altitude.

[0049] - During horizontal movement at moderate speed, the steerable pivoting thrusters are oriented at a certain angle in the vertical plane, which generates a thrust with a horizontal component ensuring horizontal movement and a vertical component providing part of the lift necessary in the vertical plane, allowing the ship to rise above the water's surface. The remaining vertical lift is provided by the lifting surfaces, whose respective angles of incidence are adjusted accordingly.

[0050] -When stationary, lift is provided by the thrusters directed mainly downwards, assisted by optional floats deployed or inflated when the ship is stationary.

[0051] The transition between a horizontal orientation of the propellers and a downward orientation (without this orientation necessarily being strictly vertical) can be done gradually and progressively, so that the altitude of the ship remains unchanged between its horizontal movement mode supported by the foils and its stationary mode.

[0052] The position, orientation and thrust of each thruster (advantageously the ship comprises three or four thrusters) are continuously adjustable manually or automatically.

[0053] The angle of incidence of the horizontal lifting planes is independently adjustable for each lifting plane (advantageously four, two at the front and two at the rear), which makes it possible to generate vertical lift when the ship is moving forward, and to control the altitude, trim and heel of the nacelle.

[0054] The vessel according to the invention comprises mechanical linkage means between the submerged lifting and propulsion section (the propellers) on the one hand, and the floating operational section (nacelle) on the other, designed to generate the lowest possible hydrodynamic drag. These mechanical linkage means for connecting the propellers and lifting surfaces to the nacelle may thus include, but are not limited to, the following within the scope of the invention: - One or more streamlined vertical telescopic legs (advantageously four legs, each leg carrying one or more thrusters and one or more horizontal lifting surfaces) - One or more legs with joints - One or more mechanical systems of the profiled pantograph type.

[0055] The vessel according to the invention can operate in manual, semi-automatic, or fully automatic mode. When operating in manual mode, each parameter is adjustable independently of the others. However, the vessel according to the invention is optimized to operate in semi-automatic mode: the adjustable parameters are speed, vessel direction, vessel rotation, and altitude. The system of The control system enabling this semi-automatic mode automatically coordinates the angle of attack of the lifting surfaces and the orientation of the thrusters according to the piloting parameters. The vessel can move in a combined manner: laterally, longitudinally, and rotationally.

[0056] In fully automatic mode, the control system is equipped with a monitoring system consisting of cameras and LiDAR sensors, enabling it to detect obstacles and track targets. The control system uses the information provided by the monitoring system to automatically steer the vessel from a starting point to a predefined destination or to a moving target, avoiding obstacles. It can track a target moving horizontally along both axes and vertically (although vertical movement is limited by the height of the legs of the invention).

[0057] In one embodiment, the target can be another vessel moving at a certain speed and moving vertically under the effect of waves. The autopilot mode then allows personnel to be transferred safely between the invention and the other vessel, the invention moving along three axes: horizontal, vertical, and rotational, replicating the movements of the other vessel in order to limit relative movements.

[0058] The management of semi-automatic and automatic modes may, in particular, implement a machine learning artificial intelligence system, which allows the vessel's behavior to adapt to variations and movements of surrounding elements, which may include obstacles or other vessels. Target tracking is advantageously based on three-dimensional shape recognition, provided by artificial intelligence.

[0059] The dynamic balancing that maintains a predefined trim is advantageously ensured by an electronic device that controls the thrusters and foils. The position and trim of the floating upper section are continuously monitored by a servo system to guarantee its stability in all conditions, whether in rough seas or to compensate for load transfers due to onboard movement, horizontal acceleration, or wind forces. The servo system ensures that the vessel maintains its position, heading, and altitude without anchoring, regardless of wind and wave direction relative to the nacelle axis. The complete system is based on a passive safety approach: the system returns to a stable state in the event of a total servo failure. This system includes several degraded modes to guarantee safety at all levels.

[0060] The control system relies on direct physical measurements: of the attitude (for example, using a redundant inertial measurement unit providing the parameters attitude, longitudinal and transverse inclinations and gyrocompass), the height of the gondola relative to the water surface (for example the height is measured by an algorithm based on signals received from water pressure sensors and / or proximity sensors of the LIDAR or ultrasonic type), geolocation (GNSS: Global Navigation Satellite System), other sensors (position, inclination, wind speed, temperature, etc.) and cameras if necessary.

[0061] The control means may include a computer-controlled automated system equipped with navigation and position-holding software, receiving information from various sensors and controlling the orientation and thrust of the thrusters as well as the angle of the lifting surface(s). The control means may include a human-machine interface allowing on-site or remote control of some or all of the functions.

[0062] Integrating degraded modes into the control system from the design phase ensures the required level of safety for all types of applications by taking into account potential failures of sensors, actuators, or the control elements themselves. The first degraded modes include failures of a thruster, a lifting surface, a pitch sensor, a platform height sensor, etc. The PLC architecture is advantageously fail-safe (also known as fail-safe mode), relying, for example, on redundancy of the computers, thrusters, and sensors.

[0063] In an embodiment requiring a higher level of safety (for example, for personnel transfers), the thrusters are redundant: if

[0064] the gondola rests on three legs, one at the front and two at the rear, the front leg being equipped with two horizontal lifting surfaces (foils) on either side of the leg and two thrusters, the rear legs are each equipped with one horizontal lifting surface (foil) and two thrusters. In this embodiment, the thrusters operate in pairs, each thruster in the pair providing half of the required thrust. If one thruster fails, the second in the pair provides the full required thrust. Examples

[0065] An example of an embodiment of the invention is a vessel according to [Fig. 1] comprising four propellers and a horizontal lifting surface (foil). The foil is positioned between the two forward legs. The vessel's dimensions are 6 meters in length and 2.5 meters in width. The pivoting, steerable propellers are located at the ends of four telescopic vertical legs whose lengths are adjustable from 0.5 meters to 4 meters. The forward propellers are spaced a distance from the aft propellers. fixed at 4 meters, the distance between the front thrusters is 2.5 meters, the distance between the rear thrusters is 1.5 meters.

Claims

Demands

1. A self-elevating vessel in horizontal or stationary motion for rapid navigation and safe transshipment in rough seas comprising: - Maneuvering and navigation means; - At least one floating upper section comprising a cell (1) and optionally at least one inflatable float (2); - At least one submerged propulsion and lifting section comprising at least one steerable propulsion means (4) and at least one lifting surface steerable in the horizontal and vertical planes (5), and optionally at least one submerged float; - At least one profiled vertical mechanical linkage means (3), optionally of adjustable height, between said floating upper section and said submerged propulsion and lifting section, said floating upper section and said propulsion and lifting section being secured to said mechanical linkage means;- Means for controlling the altitude and inclination of said floating upper part relative to the water surface, comprising at least one sensor and at least one means for controlling said at least one propulsion means and said at least one steerable lifting surface in order to control in real time the position and stability of said vessel as a function of waves and wind; - Means for raising the floating upper part.

2. Vessel according to claim 1 comprising at least one shock-absorbing buffer and at least two pivoting lashing jaws (6) for securing the vessel to a third-party structure.

3. Vessel according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said at least one mechanical linkage means is selected from a vertical leg, a retractable articulated leg, a telescopic leg and a pantograph, and said propulsion means comprise pivoting thrusters steerable in the horizontal plane and in the vertical plane, preferably three thrusters.

4. Vessel according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said at least one sensor enables at least one direct physical measurement of roll and pitch, of the height of the floating upper part relative to the water surface, or of the absolute or relative position of the vessel.

5. Vessel according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said control means enable control of the orientation and thrust of each propulsion unit and the orientation of each lifting surface so as to maintain an altitude and trim defined in real time or predefined by the pilot of the vessel.

6. Vessel according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said control means comprise an obstacle detection and target tracking surveillance system, preferably consisting of cameras and LIDAR sensors.

7. Vessel according to claim 6 wherein the maneuvering and navigation means comprise a piloting system equipped with said surveillance system enabling it to detect obstacles and track targets.

8. Vessel according to any one of claims 6 to 7 wherein the surveillance system includes means for three-dimensional shape recognition.

9. Vessel according to any one of claims 6 to 8 wherein the surveillance system includes means for replicating the movements of another vessel so as to limit the relative movements of the two vessels and to permit a transfer of cargo or personnel on the move.

10. Vessel according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the maneuvering and navigation means implement an artificial intelligence learning system enabling the vessel's behavior to adapt automatically or semi-automatically to variations and movements of surrounding elements.

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